Tag: coffee

Saturday morning

It’s 9am on Saturday morning and I am currently sat on the sofa with Trudy my dog lay across me whilst I’m sipping my second cup of tea.

The house has only partially stirred from their slumber which really means I am the only human up and out of bed. The pets are up, fed and alert wanting a piece of my attention.

After having a few cold beers last night watching television, I have woke to find I placed a small bag of Cadbury chocolate in the fridge last night. Even before breakfast, I am nibbling on cold chocolate washing it down with a hot cuppa. I prefer to eat chocolate when it’s been in the fridge, cold and harder to break. This is a perfect way to wake up.

Looking outside it appears cloudy and threatening to rain. The street is so quite with not so much as a dog walker stepping out into the cold morning. I’ll eat a little more chocolate and sip a bit more tea before I drag myself off the sofa and venture out with the dogs.

Later in the afternoon we plan to go out with my brother & sister in law for some food and drink. Sunday is looking like another peaceful and relaxing offering too. With me returning to work on Monday, it seems ideal to have an easy weekend first.

Whatever your doing this weekend, I hope you enjoy it.

End of an era

Can you call six weeks an era? Well I just have.

Today was the final day of my course and as such the end of an era. Apart from the course which was the best I have attended in my 18 year career for a number of reasons I will not waffle on about, my fellow classmates have made it a blast.

Myself and the other eleven souls have bonded really well. Despite being put into three separate syndicates of four for certain roles and tests we have gelled really well. Thankfully we had no mouthy, know it all types and we were all of a similar age and experience. Sure there were some funnier and extravagant that others, some more chilled but the group was a really good mix.

I have enjoyed my new daily routine with a different drive to work than normal. The relaxed atmosphere and having a good old natter in the mornings over decent coffee prior to the course starting. We actually all got together and put a small brew fund together which also showed our team spirit. Apparently some groups can be quiet and do not bond so the trainers really noticed how comfortable we all were with each other.

Each week there was a non work related quiz that resulted in points being awarded for first, second and third. This went on until the last day and the final quiz, which our syndicate won resulted in us fully accepting our prizes of bags of chocolate (which I have just finished off with a coffee !)

After the course finished today, we all went to the local TGI Fridays`s restaurant for burger and a beer. Throughout the meal we laughed and giggled about the previous six weeks before we finally said our goodbyes. Although our paths may never cross again, none of us will ever forget this course and the time we had. We plan to stay in touch whether that be via our whatsapp group or work email but I hope we do keep in contact.

As I type, I cannot help but feel melancholic and a sense of coming down from the last month and a half. The learning, the laughs and the experience will stay with me for sometime. We will never do this course or similar again and I think we all look fondly back on our time here.

Goodness knows what I will do with myself tomorrow morning………

Something different

For the last six weeks, I have been on a course with work and out of my usual routine of working shifts, something I have done for eighteen years. When I have previously attended courses these have lasted for anything from one day to one week. So the thought of working Monday to Friday 8am-3pm daily did initially make me wonder how I would adjust. Adjust I did and as I enter the last couple of days of the course, I can honestly say that I have thoroughly enjoyed the course and also enjoyed working Monday to Friday, having every weekend off.

If you work shifts then you will know where I am coming from. I am well and truly out of the routine of “living for the weekend”. Those daily rush hour drives into work that have you stressed before you have even started. The Monday morning blues, excitement of Fridays and repeat. I did think the weeks would drag and I would spend my days counting down the time until the weekend but thankfully that has not been the case.

Sure some mornings the traffic was the pits, other days everyone appeared to have stayed in bed and I enjoyed a simple drive in. It is strange how some days are busier on the roads than others, two days are never the same, I do wonder where do people go sometimes?

Having every weekend off with the family has been very enjoyable. Guaranteed weekends off allowed us to plan things in and that has to be one of the best things about working Monday to Friday. Shift work does allow me some weekends off but I do enjoy my days off in the week when everyone else is in work. So the roads are quieter as are the shops.

One regret whilst on the course has not been making the most of the time I have had in the evenings. Returning home by 3 or 4pm has allowed me plenty of time in the evenings to either exercise or do some chores about the house. I certainly would have liked to have exercised more in the evenings by either jogging or swimming but this course has been taxing on the brain.

You would think that sitting on your backside all day listening and learning with going for coffee being the most exercise you get all day would mean that you would be full of energy in the evenings. Sadly not.

Each evening all I have wanted to do is sit down, have dinner and do very little else. Some evenings I have been asleep by 10pm completely shattered after a day of doing very little. Some say, “the less you do the less you want to do” and I do believe that saying. I suspect getting up at 6.20am for five days consecutively has an impact as well as the amount of thinking you have to do which means you are shattered when you get home.

Before I know it I will be back at work and into the old routine, wishing I was back on the course having a laugh with my colleagues and finished by 3pm. I had better enjoy the last few days whilst I have the opportunity.